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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22379080">Can there be a day beyond this night?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/An_outsider_looking_in/pseuds/An_outsider_looking_in'>An_outsider_looking_in</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>EastEnders (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Hospitals, Injury, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-29 05:47:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,412</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22379080</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/An_outsider_looking_in/pseuds/An_outsider_looking_in</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A little bit of a prediction/hope for the upcoming episode where Keanu kidnaps Callum to get at Ben. I have played around with the ideas and, well I hope you enjoy it</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>71</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Can there be a day beyond this night?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Where is he?" Ben pushed Keanu against the wall. Stuart stood behind him.</p><p>"Who? "</p><p>" Don't play daft" Stuart muscled in.</p><p>"Look its laurel and hardy" Keanu laughed.</p><p>"I won't ask again" Ben's grip tightened.</p><p>"I want you to remember this fear, Ben. This feeling" Keanu was amused by his sweet revenge.</p><p>"It hurts, doesn't it? "</p><p>"Where's my brother?" Stuart yelled, a smile on his face, a sinister grin "Because if you don't tell me. I will kill you for real" Ben loosened his grip and Keanu exhaled. His face was flustered. </p><p>He remained silent.</p><p>"Stuart,  you weren't meant to be involved in this, it got out of hand"</p><p>Stuart picked up a metal rod from the floor of the arches and smashed it against the table. It made a loud bang that echoed through the enclosed space.</p><p>"This is the last time or I will use this and it'll be rather nasty"</p><p>"OK. I left him at the allotments"</p><p>"Allotments? "</p><p>"ItIwas a kidnap but got a little out of hand"</p><p>They didn't unpack this statement, instead they realised the urgency. Callum could have been hurt and they needed to get to him.</p><p>"I guess karma hurts" Keanu shrugged.</p><p>"I will kill you" Stuart growled."Mark my words"</p><p>"It's been done before. Yet here I am" Keanu said</p><p>"Tick tock" Keanu tapped his watch, he acted with malice, a malice that Ben knew he had caused.</p><hr/><p>Ben pannicked as they rushed to the allotments. It was darkening and had been raining, it was cold. They eventually arrived and left the car parked by the road.</p><p>"Callum? " Ben yelled as he turned the torch on his mobile.</p><p>" We should split up" Stuart said,  the two had not been friends in the past but they did have one thing in common. "Cover more ground"</p><p>"This ain't Scooby Doo, we look together" Ben said and they wandered down the dimly lit path.</p><p>It was icy and the floor was damp.</p><p>"We need to find him" Stuart said "Cal" he called out</p><p>"If you can hear me, make a sound" He called out, whilst not spoken, inside they had begun to panic. Keanu had been far too blunt when telling them, he had waited in the arches, waiting for his plan to unravel.</p><p>What if they were too late? </p><p>They walked a little further and saw a light, poking through the trees. One of the sheds was open and they rushed to it. The rotted door had been left ajar. Ben hesitated, there was not a sound from inside the shed.</p><p>"Cal? " Stuart walked ahead and dropped to his knees, Ben followed and saw Callum. His face was bloodied and there was a puddle of blood from the back of his head.</p><p>"No, not again" Ben leant against the door as Stuart looked for a pulse.<br/>He found an old towel and pushed it against the wound on the back of Callum's head.</p><p>"Can you hear me?, Callum? " he frantically checked for a pulse.</p><p>Ben pannicked, he didn't know how to react.</p><p>"Call an ambulance. What are you doing? " He barked at Ben, Ben's hands were shaking.</p><p>"Pass it to me" Stuart took the phone.</p><p>"Put pressure on the wound" Ben crouched beside Callum holding a dusty towel to his head. Callum was cold and his skin pale, he was bruised.</p><p>"Come on, I can't be without you" Ben muttered, he cradled the unconscious man. His hand was on Callum's wrist as he tried to find a pulse.</p><p>"Yes. Ambulance. It's my brother he's been attacked. He's bleeding"</p><p>"Is there a pulse? " Stuart shouted and Ben checked.  His heart sank as he couldn't feel anything and then he suddenly felt a pulse, a steady beat.</p><p>" Yes. But it's faint" As Ben spoke, his voice was breaking. Callum's blood was all over his shirt and his hands as he kept talking to him.</p><p>"You'll be OK. The ambulance is coming" He said, leaning Callum onto his side and stroking his arm. The towel was firmly pressed onto the back of his head.</p><p>"It's ok bruv, you'll be ok" Stuart said, still talking to the phone operator.</p><p>Ben heard a splutter and Callum's arm jolted.  Ben grasped his hand.</p><p>"Can you hear me? " he said and Callum replied with a groan.</p><p>" Don't move. They are coming" Ben steadied Callum as he fidgeted. </p><p>"Ben? " Callum muttered</p><p>" Yeah baby I'm here" he said, tears rolled down his cheeks.</p><p>The paramedics burst in moments later and placed an oxygen mask onto Callum. Ben moved out the way as they began to treat him and load him onto a stretcher.</p><p>"Are you coming? " Stuart asked and Ben stood up, climbing into the back of the ambulance.</p><p>"It can't happen again. Not again" He repeated internally, his mind reverting back to the horrific attack that had taken Paul from him. As he glanced up he saw Paul was standing over Callum. His face was bloodied as he shook his head. Ben looked down, his heart raced as he avoided the pannicked dillusion. </p><p>Looking down at Callum, he barely recognised him, his face was bloodied and had began to bruise. It looked worse under the bright ambulance lights, than in the damp shed. </p><p>Stuart stared at his brother, then to Ben.  No words were spoken Stuart put his hand on Ben's shoulder.</p><p>Ben reached out to touch Callum's hand, it was connected to tubes and wires as the machines beeped.</p><p>"Stop the ambulance " the paramedic tapped the glass and they halted to a stop, the machines were frantic beeping. Stuart and Ben were jilted forwards, luckily the seat belt had steadied them. </p><p>"What's going on? "</p><p>" He's stopped breathing" She said and began chest compressions. Tears rolled down Ben's face and Stuart said.</p><p>"What. How? " he asked questions and it wasn't helpful. The paddles were placed onto his chest and the machine shocked him.</p><p>" Can you hear me? " she said </p><p><em>Nothing</em>.</p><p>"Come on Cal" Stuart said, his voice was shaky. </p><p>She tried again.</p><p>" Callum, stay with us. Come on" She shocked him once more. </p><p>"He's back" She said and the ambulance began, at a faster speed. The sound of car horns hooked outside, assuredly the stopping had disrupted traffic.</p><p>"Gave us a fright Mr Highway" She said and looked over to Stuart.</p><p>"He's a fighter" she said. "But we need to get there now" </p><p>Ben couldn't speak he just sat there, afraid.</p><p>The ambulance stopped at the hospital and Ben and Stuart got out first.</p><p>Callum was rushed in and Stuart pulled Ben aside.</p><p>"If he dies, Keanu is dead and so are you " He said.</p><p>" I know" Ben said, teary. "Keanu Taylor is dead either way, I promise that"</p><p>They headed into the hospital and waited for what seemed like forever.</p><p>Doctors rushed back and forth, nurses offered tea and coffee. Ben headed to the bathroom.</p><p>Once inside, he burst into tears. Fear overcame him and his chest felt tight.</p><p>As he looked up, he saw Paul was standing behind him in the reflection of the mirror.</p><p>"I don't deserve love" Ben said, talking to the reflection. Paul didn't speak, he simply stood there, his face was shadowed and bruised.</p><p>"I tried to protect him" Ben cried.</p><p>"Say something" He said punching the mirror. The glass cracked and his hand began to bleed.</p><p>Paul was gone.</p><p>"Shit shit" Ben wrapped toilet roll around his hand and sat for a while.</p><p>Upon his return, Stuart was talking to the doctor.  Ben picked up his pace.</p><p>"Is he OK? " he asked</p><p>" Who are you? "</p><p>" I was his boyfriend" Stuart nodded for the Doctor to continue. He looked down at Ben's hand and back to the doctor. </p><p>"As I was saying, your brother sustained a severe trauma, we operated and steadied the bleeding. He is stable but not out of the woods"</p><p>"Will he survive? " Stuart asked</p><p>" It's too early to say" the doctor said.</p><p>"Can we see him? " Ben asked</p><p>" Yes  but he does need rest" the doctor lead them down the corridor. Callum was in a single room, he was hooked up to a breathing monitor, his head had been bandaged.</p><p>They sat down on opposite sides of him.</p><p>"I'm so sorry" Ben stroked his hand, "I tried to protect you, I really did" Tears flooded down his cheeks. Stuart sat silently, staring at his younger brother.</p><p>They sat there long into the early hours. The beeping blended into background noise as they sat in silence.</p>
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